Lifespan of the Australian Cattle Dog

In a tiny sample of about a dozen dead dogs, Australian Cattle Dogs showed that they had a lifespan of around 12 years, and the maximum was around 16 years. A bigger survey of several dozen dead dogs showed a median lifespan of 13.5 years and a margin of error of 2.3 years. The basic lifespans of similar breeds around the same size are around 11 or so years.

There is one anecdotal story of one of these dogs whose name was Bluey, and she lived for almost 30 years, but there is no confirmed record. Even if the story were true, the record age must be seen as an unusual exception rather than a sign of common long-term longevity for this whole breed. It’s still true that Australian Cattle Dogs do age in a nice way, however, and they tend to live longer on average, in fact about a year more, than most other dog breeds in the identical weight class.

Most dogs in this breed are continually active and well at around 12 to 14 years, and some still have their sight, teeth, and hearing into old age.